39 W. Genesee St, Clyde, NY 14433 ♦ (315) 406-1999

About the Erie Mansion Bed & Breakfast

The Erie Mansion has been known through the years as the Smith-Ely Mansion. This 43 room, three story, 12,000 square foot mansion was built in 1858 in Clyde, NY – a stone’s throw from the Erie Canal.

This historic landmark was originally constructed as an Italianate style home for Dr. & Mrs. Smith. Their daughter Eugenia married Charles Ely, owner of the Clyde Glass Works which was one of the largest glass companies in the world during the Erie Canal era. They transformed the home into the stately mansion you see today. Construction was completed in 1910 and the Ely family lived there for two generations.

The home has had a colorful and notorious history as a private residence for various families, a veterans’ home and multi-family low-income housing, until its condemnation in 2006.

The mansion stood vacant for two years until local real estate investor Mark Wright spotted the house for sale. Realizing the historic significance and potential of the home (it is listed in the Department of the Interior’s National Register of Historic Places), Mark purchased it in April of 2008 for his private residence.

Surprisingly through all its transformations the house has retained much of its original craftsmanship. Fireplaces with unique marble from different countries, massive mahogany and teak mantles, parquet floors, gold leaf wall coverings, ornately carved beams and pillars, and stained and leaded glass.

Mark and his staff set to renovating and restoring the home to its former glory when it began. The daily visits by the locals recalling their favorite ghost stories of the mansion, the workers on the renovation project and visitors hearing and seeing strange unexplainable events. One worker was so upset by this that he refused to work inside the house alone. With such an overwhelming amount of stories and occurrences, Mark decided to share his home with the public and The Erie Mansion Bed & Breakfast was created.